As the widely syndicated U.S. radio show marks
20 years, its tireless host chats with OpenCanada’s Krista Hessey on the impact
of U.S. foreign policy, the role of the media and the continued growth of her
news program.

WEEKLY DISPATCH

As the widely syndicated U.S. radio show marks 20 years, its tireless host chats with OpenCanada’s Krista Hessey on the impact of U.S. foreign policy, the role of the media and the continued growth of her news program.

With huge land masses and a large, young, politically and digitally engaged population, Indonesia is a country to watch. Canada’s former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Len Edwards, gives four big ideas for more ambitious Canadian-Indonesian relations.

A Hague Tribunal ruled this week against China’s claims to the South China Sea. Gerald Wright explains the thinking behind China’s assertions, and why the decision is unlikely to make headway on reducing tensions.

The government’s International Assistance Review wraps up this month. In Part Two of our recommendations for Canada’s development sector, Julian Dierkes explores how to make funding and expertise more accessible.

BEST OF THE WEB

Thursday's attack in Nice, which left at least 84 dead after a truck drove into a crowd on Bastille Day, is the latest bout of terrorism-related violence to occur in France in recent years. For the Guardian, Jason Burke attempts to explain why the country has been the target of attacks. While some reasons may be historical, cultural or related to French foreign policy, "others are rooted in grave problems within France itself," he writes.

Just as the U.S. government offered would-be pioneers plots of lands in the 1800s, the Kremlin has launched a campaign to populate the "mosquito-infested wasteland" that makes up more than a third of Russia using the carrot of free land. Some say it's a pie in the sky; others say this will "save" Russia from the Chinese across the border. Andrew Higgins reports for The New York Times.

Vox's Ezra Klein sat down for an interview with the Democratic presidential nominee seeking to answer one question: "Why is the Hillary Clinton described to me by her staff, her colleagues, and even her foes so different from the one I see on the campaign trail?" The answer, he concludes, lies in Clinton's ability to really listen - an underrated quality, perhaps, on the traditionally male-dominated campaign trail.